Discipling Culture Changers
The foundation of the Great Commission is the authority of Jesus. The “Christ Event” did not end at the resurrection. It was fully completed only when He ascended back to heaven, was seated on the throne of David at the right hand of the Father and was crowned King, where He was instructed to remain until all His enemies were defeated. In the meantime, the Father declared that King Jesus would now rule “in the midst of His enemies” (Psalm 2; Psalm 110; Ephesians 1:18-23).
All authority in heaven and earth, that is to say, all the authority in the entire spiritual realm and all the authority in the natural realm now belong to King Jesus. Everything in every realm is subject to Him, and the Great Commission is the mandate and the delegation to the Church to disciple the nations of the earth. If we are going to fulfill that, we must be much more intentional about how we develop leaders! Our goals as well as our methods could use a fresh, more strategic approach.
We must recognize the calling, intentionally develop it, then wholeheartedly commission, ordain and send specific leaders into Business, Government, Journalism, Media, Arts, Education, Science and every other arena of culture that shapes the thinking of the peoples of the earth.
Acts 13:1-3 is the model: the Church is to intentionally raise up five-fold leaders (apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists) whom God can supernaturally call into any sector, arena or aspect of any society, any culture in any nation!
1. Spiritual Identity (Ephesians 4:11)
We must recognize that biblically defined apostles, prophets, shepherds, teachers and evangelists are to be intentionally and systematically developed, prepared and trained to go outside of Church culture; they need to be sent and supported into every part of secular culture. We cannot transform an arena we are not involved in.
2. Spiritual Discipline (2 Timothy 2:15)
There are two overarching areas of spiritual discipline to develop - individual disciplined study of the Word/set prayer times (Acts 6) and corporate fasting, prayer and prophetic strategy (Acts 13).
In addition to our craft skills, we must pay the price in the study of the Word and for a passionate prayer life. The nations are not in need of any more highly intelligent but selfishly ambitious leaders. Cultural transformation requires both supernatural signs and servants!
3. Spiritual Authority (Acts 13:6)
We must impart deeply into the DNA of our emerging leaders a revelation of the authority of Christ and His Ecclesia in the earth. The Church in this hour needs a fuller revelation of the King and His Kingdom that is increasing in the Earth and of the unstoppable Church He has brought forth. (Isaiah 2; Matthew 16)
A powerful example of this is found in Acts 13:6 - “They found Bar-Jesus, a Jewish false prophet who was with Sergius Paulus , the proconsul, an intelligent man.”
Paul confronted the false prophetic and the false supernatural that was deceiving the regional official of the Roman civil government. He confronted it with a much stronger display of raw, supernatural, spiritual power rooted in the Truth of who Jesus is. In verse 11, Paul demonstrated Great Commission authority to release physical blindness upon the one who was supernaturally operating in the dark arts to bring spiritual blindness upon the leadership of one of the “7 Mountains” of culture! The assignment of the false prophetic to block civil government from seeing the Truth was broken. Spiritual blindness and deception upon governmental leaders never leads to moral policies and laws in the land!
This is a model of the leaders we must be and that we must train. We must come into all that Christ Jesus has delegated to us if we are going to liberate nations and fulfill the Great Commission.
Pray:
Pray for a fuller understanding of the Great Commission in your own life. Embark on a fresh study in your Bible.
Pray for a generation of leaders to emerge that has a vision to lead cultures, not just influence them.
Pray for prophetic strategy to be released that will reveal new paradigms for mentoring and training key leaders to be sent into every arena of culture.
